#Sounsyy Mirke

[unsullied-skies]

HEY SOUNSYY!!! Thank you so much for everything that you have done in more than a decade’s worth for FFXIV! I hope everyone knows and appreciates all of the hard work you’ve put into curating and archiving XIV’s lore for the community to have as a resource.

Wishing you the absolute best!

[tea-and-conspiracy]

I’m terrible at this sort of thing

And thus I’m way past the deadline for expressing my appreciation and admiration for Sounsyy. Part of it was hoping to get a bit of art done in time, but since that can’t happen I have to settle for measly words now instead. orz

I don’t even know what to say that others haven’t expressed better and more eloquently. All my friends wrote such heartfelt things and my brain’s just been stalled the whole time. How do you adequately express gratitude to a literal pillar of your community? Someone who’s given countless volunteer hours for a passion project they’ll never get paid for? Who does it purely as a service for others? I’ve been haunting this damn game since ARR and I can’t think of a single RPer I’ve met who hasn’t referenced Sounsyy’s work. Mirke’s Menagerie is an island of sanity for all of us trying to navigate the often convoluted waters of XIV lore, doubly so if you’re a nerd for it.

Hell, so much of this community has come and gone in the decade-plus that XIV has been around. Many of the old RP resources we used to have, that once seemed like institutions, are gone. Sounsyy’s outlasted them all. Still here, still writing, still helping out.

As someone once crazy enough to create and run large-scale events in the past, I legitimately don’t know what we would have done without Souns. I still don’t know what we’d do without them. Maybe this community doesn’t deserve their hard work, but we’re sure as hell all better for having them in it.

Thank you, Sounsyy, for giving all you have to this community. If I see you in Vegas, let me buy you a coffee or beer or something.

[lyndztanica]

[honoura]

[jancisstuff]

Levinfist 2020

Thank you, generous hosts!

[diskwrite-ffxiv]

[It was a prim letter, neatly closed with an unremarkable seal. The handwriting was sharp, neat, decisive. If the writer had agonized over the wording, her hand did not show it. Black ink etched over plain parchment, nothing more and nothing less.]

Dear Mirke,

I understand I am likely the last person you wish to hear from right now but we are another few days in Gyr Abania and so my capacity to visit is yet restricted. It was not my intention for you to be hauled away from the front, but there were many things neither of us intended and yet circumstances made them true.

Most I have to say would be better stated in person. You deserve that from me, whatever else may stand. But you are not alone, and your absence left a divot in us that conviction could not easily fill.

While you yet rest in bonds, I realise your preference was to be free from all such fetters, including those binding us to this earth. I do not yet understand what drove you to such a decision, but I do know what drove me to mine.

You weren't the only one who anticipated death that day. I walked into Ala Mhigo expecting to bleed my last in service to the Spinner's request. I may not have fought believing victory was possible, but I accepted the equation all the same. Liberty or death, we both know what that means. And when liberty is impossible, for people like us what remains?

It is a peculiar thing to stand at the close when for decades you have walked hand in hand with your demise. But here we are, for whatever else may come. And now we face the more herculean task of learning how to be alive.

I do not yet know what consequences you may face. I am not certain how much I can do for we are too close for me to approach this case in any significant legal way. But I will attend to it on my return in the means I can, whatever shape such action may take.

The last thing I must do before my return is inform your sister of your survival. I realise this is a grand breach of confidence and I apologize for my part in it, but some things must be done.

I do not expect your forgiveness but I hope in time you will understand. We will speak upon my return.

Your friend,

Ojene

@mirkemenagerie

[kilieit]

he was doing his Rogue thing and monitoring an undercover Maelstrom operation taking place in a tavern, but the bards were singing really naughty songs

Rinh Panipahr: "...swear those songs have somehow gotten even filthier than the version I learned back in basic training..."

Honoura Hawke: "I think they just got more creative with the number of words ye can use to mean a man's member," Honoura remarks, sipping her ale and twitching when one member of the filthy choir tries to hit a note well out of his range. Well, well out.

Aghurlal Qar-akimusun, while thoroughly unable to hear the conversation at Sounsyy's table, can certainly hear the songs. He's... he's learning a lot of words today.

it was educational for all involved

[diskwrite-ffxiv]

IT’S HER!!

I am an artist you’re welcome for this beautiful portrait of Sounssy

[maelstrom-command]

Maelstrom Command RP Community <<FLEET>> DOMA RP CAMPAIGN SERIES // MAIN EVENT 01:

SETTING SAIL FOR DOMA

After much preparation, the Maelstrom’s 1st Squadron, 9th Levy has set sail on a two moons long journey to Doma on a mission of diplomacy. 

As is tradition when a Maelstrom land based Levy embarks on a lengthy sea voyage, the crew gathers to nominate, then vote, on who among them should be assigned specific leadership roles for the duration of the voyage. Nominations are based on sea faring skills rather than on years served in the Limsan Armada.

CREW ROSTER:

Captain: J’ahk Crooktail @ser-rex

Quartermaster: Sounsyy Mirke @mirkemenagerie

Reserve: Dogberry Himalspyr @betterlivingthrublackmagic

Master Navigator: Alice Eizenheim 

Navigator’s Mate: J'karha Kihlo

Bosun: Oswyne Crosby @old-souldier

Master Gunner: Radiant Valkyrie @crystal-brave

Gunner’s Mate: U'illya Verlial @lilyverlial

Master of Arms: Shina Takahashi @panipahr

Arm’s Master Mate: A'kiyan Grievers 

Arms Assistant: Amethyst Sere

Sailor Master: S'vash Tia @svashing

Sailor Master’s Mate: Honoura Hawke @honhonoura

Master Surgeon: Dr. Kether Hollis @betterlivingthrublackmagic

Surgeon: A'khebica Ginwa @aethericgeometry

Carpenter: (NPC) Mystskoef Sterrdaegsyn

Galley Master: Faolan Donne @shotsfiredxiv

Cook: J'etrah Zurie 

Overall Levy Commander: Sylbfohc Ostulmsyn @sea-wolf-coast-to-coast

The Doma Campaign is a private RP series run by the Maelstrom Command RP community from February 2019 - June 2019. It’s set before the events of the 4.5 MSQ and will end with RP that leads into the MSQ. If you have a Maelstrom aligned character and would like to get involved, consider joining the community!

tinyurl.com/join-the-maelstrom

[sea-wolf-coast-to-coast]

The missing captain: a letter

(( An IC Letter. ))

(( MSQ timeline: shortly after the fall of the Wall of Baelsar – at the very, very beginning of the Stormblood MSQ. ))

Addressed to:

1st STORM COMMANDER SABINE GAVRONCHETTE Thalassocratic Navy's 3rd Squadron, 8th Levy Infantry

From:

1st STORM COMMANDER SYLBFOHC OSTULMSYN Thalassocratic Navy's 1st Squadron, 9th Levy Infantry

Written in a neat, formal, tightly flourishing script and secured beneath a wax seal, reads:

Commander Gavronchette,

Once again, I’d like to thank you for lending your Captain Sounsyy Mirke to my command in the Maelstrom’s 1st Squadron, 9th Levy. To simply say that she’s been helpful would be quite an understatement. In fact, she’s become an integral part of my operations, lending her expertise wherever and whenever it’s needed. She gets on well enough with the other captains, and she’s has a special way with the privates – she keeps them in line like no other. Though, I doubt that’s much of a surprise to you.

I write to you this day with an inquiry. Last night it came to my attention that Mirke’s Storm Captain’s Insignia, along with her official LinkPearl, has been left in her quarters. It has been days since any from my Levy have seen her,  and none have heard anything about her taking leave.

So I ask you, Commander Gavronchette, do you know where your Captain Mirke is?

Reply quickly, if you can. I expect orders from Limsa’s Command regarding my Levy’s response to the fall of Baelsar’s Wall within the week, at which point reaching me may become difficult.

Thank you, Commander.

1st Storm Commander (( Signed )) Sylbfohc Ostulmsyn Thalassocratic Navy's 1st Squadron, 9th Levy Infantry

@mirkemenagerie @maelstrom-command

[lyndztanica]

[honoura]

💭??

“I... don’t like her girlfriend a lot. But I like what her girlfriend does for her. It’s better than worrying she drinks as much alone as she does with me.”

[jancisstuff]

“The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves.”    ―      Hellen Keller  

[musecastxiv]

Episode 022 - Ala Mhigo: Past, Present, and Future (Part Two)

Though the Stormblood hype train was derailed by technical setbacks, it’s finally taken us all the way to Ala Mhigo — and what a ride it was! This episode features special guests and Ala Mhigan roleplayers Sounsyy Mirke and Avelyn Firestone of Balmung. We sit down to discuss whether Lyse is the real main character of Stormblood, the lives and world views of Fordola and the Crania Lupi (and somehow get back on to the topic of Gaius van Baelsar), what sort of government might best suit the nation, and what you should know when creating your own Ala Mhigan character.

SPOILER WARNING: This episode contains spoilers for the Stormblood 4.0 main scenario.

Listen

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Share

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[diskwrite-ffxiv]

I needed some victims for sketches so I ended up drawing @honhonoura and @mirkemenagerie >:3

[kilieit]

Lore: the Rogues’ Guild

History of Limsa Lominsa - The Trident [ref: 095]

As the pirates grew in number, they began to organise into proper crews. As the number of crews multiplied, however, quarrels among them became more common. Questions of territory and shares of plunder erupted into violence in the 940th year of the Sixth Astral Era, and for nearly two decades thereafter, the streets ran with the blood of feuding pirates. The madness continued until 963 - the year that Agatzahr Roehmerlsyn assumed the admiralship.

From a buccaneer background himself, Admiral Agatzahr invited the strongest of the warring crews to the negotiation table. Through bartering and threats, he secured their solemn oath to put an end to the fighting. More miraculously, however, he put forth a code of conduct which every corsair would have to honour: No crew would cheat another of its plunder, nor rob a fellow Lominsan, nor sell fellow men into slavery.

Though the code itself was revolutionary, its enforcement was perhaps more so. The best of all crews came together and founded the Upright Thieves, a shadowy organisation that punished those who broke the code. Admiral Agatzahr’s rules became as law to the pirates not because they were imposed from above, but rather because they were enforced in every back alley and bad tavern. Thanks to this, peace returned to Limsa.

[…]

History of Limsa Lominsa - Revolution [ref: 095]

[…]

However, the Trident was to produce a leader in 1563 who would change the maritime city-state in greater ways than ever before: Merlwyb Bloefhiswyn. Though she herself was a pirate leader of the infamous League of Lost Bastards, Merlwyb declared piracy illegal upon assuming the admiralship - an act that shocked Lominsans and dealt a blow to the mainstay of its economy. Why would she do such a thing? Evidently, the Admiral realised that Limsa could not face the encroaching threat of the Garlean Empire without powerful allies, and could ill afford to antagonise the other nations of Eorzea.

History of Limsa Lominsa - The Galadion Accord [ref: 095]

Naturally, the Admiral’s order outlawing piracy was unpopular amongst the heretofore state-sanctioned corsairs, and more than a few daring attempts were made on Merlwyb’s life. However, her will was of steel, and she refused to budge by even one ilm. She won what crews she could through negotiation, persuading them of LImsa’s need to cooperate with the other city-states. And the crews who remained unyielding, she silenced.

[…]

Seeing both the Lord of Crags and the Lord of the Whorl defeated through the Admiral’s foresight, many Lominsans warmed to Merlwyb, and soon those voices that decried her were singing her praises. By 1572, she was able to establish the Maelstrom, Limsa Lominsa’s Grand Company. Her final victory was the Galadion Accord, which bound the pirate crews to the Maelstrom, and unified all of Limsa Lominsa under her command.

The Lower Decks - The Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss [ref: 101]

Sitting quietly in the outskirts of the harbor, this supposed “convent” houses the Dutiful Sistees of the Edelweiss. In truth, however, the place serves those who ensure no one breaks the unspoken code of criminals - the Rogues’ Guild.

The Guilds - The Rogues’ Guild [ref: 104]

Once, an organisation known as the Upright Thieves patrolled the back streets of Limsa Lominsa, ensuring that no brigand break the unspoken code of conduct. The group drew from the most able members of pirate crews, and avoured the agile and sly. With their chosen weapons - rope-cutting daggers they used during their days as sailors - the group devised skills of the blade to punish the guilty and reclaim plunder taken unjustly from fellow Lominsans.

After Admiral Merlwyb’s decree banning piracy, the Upright Thieves became the Rogues’ Guild. Yet their purpose is unchanged, and they continue to keep the peace of Limsa from amongst the shadows. Their guild hall is likewise clandestine, masquerading as a convent of the Dutiful Sisters of the Edelweiss.

The Guilds - Jacke Swallow [ref: 104]

“We go where the shadows are darkest, an’ hand out justice to them as break the code.”

A Midlander of twenty-seven years, Jacke takes greater pride in being a rogue than in anything else. As a child, he was captured by pirates, who sold him as a slave in a blatant violation of the code of Limsa’s underbelly. In this, they stole his freedom and his innocence. Jacke chose to follow in the footsteps of the one who saved him from this tragic fate - a nameless member of the Upright Thieves. Jacke eventually became the first master of the Rogues’ Guild, and today serves in the position with pleasure.

My Commentary

This subject was brought up by a friend of a friend, who had a few questions about the structure of the Dutiful Sisters, as well as how long they’ve been around and how long Jacke has been their leader.

To specifically distil from the infodump above:

At their heart, they are a group of pirates coming together for the greater good. This does not, however, mean that as individuals they are good, and it far from means that they’re lawful, organised, or in any way professional. Captain Jacke ultimately seems to call the shots, especially when it comes to accepting or rejecting jobs and liaising with Limsa’s other law enforcement agencies, but he’s not above field work either. Beyond that... I sincerely doubt there’s anything resembling a formal rank system. I personally believe such a thing would be too likely to cause politics to arise between the crews from whom members had originated, and after all - the Upright Thieves are antithesis to politics.

We get a very clear date from the lore on this: the Upright Thieves have existed since the year 963. The Calamity took place in the year that was 1572, so by the time Dalamud fell, the Upright Thieves was an organisation of some 600 years. That is a very long time for an organisation to survive in a city like Limsa (for perspective, it would be like an organisation in the modern day having been founded in 1409): as I said above, this leads me to believe that it’s organised such for a minimum of in-fighting and a maximum of codebreaker head-smashing.

We can safely say that Jacke was at the head of the newly formed Rogues’ Guild when it was founded in 1572, as the Galadion Accord-friendly iteration of the Upright Thieves. 1572 is the same year Dalamud fell, so... the only question is whether Jacke was Captain Jacke before the Galadion Accord, as well. Anything on that is pure speculation, but I do think that the chances are good that he was at least highly respected among other Upright Thieves, or the Rogues’ Guild would probably have fallen apart before it was even instated.

FURTHER READING

Law enforcement in Limsa Lominsa, by Sounsyy Mirke

The 1-30 quests are the best source of lore for Rogues, but I couldn’t find a transcript online. Search YouTube for videos, maybe?